The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1887-01-15
CHIEF ENGINEERS REPORT.
ENGINEER's DEPARTMENT
Board of Mississippi Levee Commissioners,
GREENVILLE Miss, January TO- 1887.

JOHN W. HEATH, Esq., President:
SI have the submit following report of the
tons of my department from July 1885, to January 1881
The works for which estimates submitted at the July meeting
and which then authorized were extensively advertised and
let at the special meeting the 9th of September last OF
those works four are nearly or quite W. heG
'front.' OF the Others the Dennis Levee about hreefours done
the Catfish Point Levee about twohrd DONE aud the Waxaw
Levee little less than The Board decided not to build
the Leota Levee The enlargement below the Easn Hoop is full
progress.
The topping and enlargement work November meeting
progressing very fairly The whole line pretty well covered by
completed in ample tme The bench banquee behind the
Vermon Lake Leyee about half done The work being prose
with competent will be finished by February 1st
November and December contained an unusually large proportion
advanced had expected have urged the contractors
forward much possible without actually putting forces on them
opinion that will be necessary two instances and have
made all the requisite preparations
The Repair Force has been engaged putting plank evemen
the Clark Front Lake Beuab and putting plank wall in
the ditch excavaed the front of the Rife eee and reg the
said ditch This has heavy work. and has been cons
eby mpded sowness of the sub contractor charge OF the
excavation and by the difficulty Of getting sufficient @ supply Of on ns
DONE the force will next move to the Easn 'front.' to complete SIM
Arrangements obtain $4,000 sacks for hwater
often difficult to get these in quantity at the time
supply beforehand
In accordance with an order of the Board meeting
of the Mississippi River Commission the 10th of September last
and presented claim for 609 expended closing the Hughes
Break 1884, The allowed by the Commission with
dissent referred the Secretary of War 1t has just
been received back from the President of the Mississippi River Com
with Endorsement the Secretary of War that the org
receipts the parties whom the expenditures made
should be attached to the claim receipts in
sion and the required formalty can be complied with
AT the meeting also urged the claims of this District to
portion of the allotment evee should be made SO far as
concerned the matter made dependent upon the dec
Board Engineer Officers who met Memphis on the 10th
November and who allotted $4,000 for the construction of
evee Ben omond in continuation of the nrtan or BACK me
the already under construction by This evee located
jointly by Mr. Hdcr u s. Assistant Engineer and myself The con
November Goth to L. Perkins, and the work is IN
active progress. %,
Board that very great and rapid are beng MADE Id
the levee both sides of the river The Upper District
of Mississippi will have the present season an almost perfect ne
evee built height three feet above high water with crown OF
eight feet and standard slopes The Arkansas evees VIII e
rebuilt raised and strengthened against he coming high water with
the exception three great and they will doubtless be
closed during the This prospect should naturally turn our
regards imperfect SYSTEM not calculated at GIL Tor uch
What NAV the of these wholesale closures upon the high
upon which there is the widest diversity of opinion
claimed by Humphreys and Abbot the result of elaborate
height Their proportions calculated for grade foot above
high From Osceoa to Helena seven feet above Their
present height Thence Island II ea Concorda the height
should be gradually increased to ten feet Thence to Napoeon to be
gradually reduced eight feet Thence to Lake Povdnce to be
gradually eleven feet Thence the mouth of the Yazoo
be gradually diminished to six feet which height should be main
This computation was great food of 1863 In 1875
Board composed of engineers and civilians was appointed ITO
auva basin Of the Mississippi river subject to nundaOn
Generals Warren and Abbot Major Benyaud
Mess sces and Heber They had before them the addition
experience from the great floods of 1862 1867 and 1874
Their conclusions substantially the as those ofumphys
and Abbot -
very dssma conclusion In his opinion the completion of the syee
would flood line Columbus three feet at Fulton
ten, Helena four, and at Lake Providence ten
Dramatically opposite to these the view taken by Capt Ead
engineer thinks that the levees need not be raised
that the increased velocity obtained by conhnng the waters
would securing the channel to accommodate the
increased volume.
The majority of the Mississippi River Commission appear to THINK
height the flood of 1882 would probably pre-
overflow though they do not profess to speak auhoratye
upon this point.
widely differing opinions there room for the great
latitude Judgment 1t accors with experience ana is
the safety that there will be an increase IN the height
whose do not know and to be
prepared for this by strengthening and raising our eyee
that will allow. This enlargement IS
especially demanded that portion OF the District extending from
upper thereof to about Geenye Below this point
there stretches that already high and strong enough ana
the of enlargement would be comparatively light 1t need not
probably much below Mayerse as here the
uence of the comparatively low water Vcsburg @ this low
being the absence of the return flow from the breaks in
which formerly such prominent part in rails
ing the flood line at that point
present provide for raising the eyees from
Coahoma line Shebys below Mound Landing to uniform
grade the high of 1892 but with of
feet This would against sudden flood wave which
should quickly subsd but against prolonged high stage like
of The flood of 1886 reality great as at oil
1SS3 The did not reach the same height
Cairo remain high long Moreover the Arkansas and Ne
the head of the Dsrc and at various
flood line of 1886 the highest Known Ihs NAV
attributed the partial rebuilding of the evees above us
opposite other be shown to exist Had
Cairo in 1882 been precated upon US last
would probably have been found too weak anu TOO
low be the in the future wh not mefoy
osed with lines perfected on both sides OF the